A: Pours a nice red color with a big bubbly head. A good amount of lacing on the glass.

S: Hoppy smell with hints of vanilla and smoke.

T: Initially, this taste very similar to the unoaked AB, bitter and intense. The flavor starts to change after a few seconds, and a gritty vanilla flavor begins to peek its head out.

M: Full-bodied with smooth carbonation. The bitterness makes this one feel quite dry.

D: Quite good, however I was hoping that this would be a bit more different than its unoaked counterpart. To me, the differences are so subtle, that it probably isn't worth the premium to get the oaked version. However, the 12-oz serving size is a plus. (687 characters)

Pours without much head, just a thin tan foam that leaves a ring and some spotty lace. Color is brownish/amber, decent clarity. Strong aroma of grassy, resiny hops, paired with robust caramel malt and a hint of vanilla. Tangy sweet.

The taste opens up with a rush of tangy hops. Malt flavors are fruity and caramelly with a sweet vanilla finish that's lightly dry. Light alcohol presence, bitterness lingers nicely. The mouthfeel is somewhat light, with a nice smoothness and middle of the road carbonation.

I like to enjoy this beer with small sips, not because it's strong, but to really soak up the vanilla oakiness in the finish. These flavors are a bit subtle, so definitely let the beer warm some to bring them out. This, paired with the solid hop bitterness provide a good balance and really make this beer worth drinking. (836 characters)

Poured this 12 oz. undated brown bottle into a Samuel Smith tulip glass. Three fingers of khaki colored head capped the dark cola/reddish brown body. The head did dwindle to a thin creamy cap which hung over the rich clear body. Thick lacing hung on the sides of the glass. Beautiful.

Smell was fabulous. Resinous, bitting floral and citrus hops. A faint brown sugar smell appeared. Later a woody aroma and hints of alcohol appeared. It was a challenge to let it warm further due to the extreme drinkability.

Taste was of resinous, bitter hop oils. Clean and refreshing. A malty undercarriage mixed well with the robust hoppiness. Taste reflected the aromas well. Complex woodiness. This one finished with a long citrus linger. This one exceeded my expectations.

Mellow, darkish ruby with a glowing glow. Thick, whipped, creamy, sticky, bright sandy brown head. Very nice to look at. Nose is rich caramel rolls and fruit punctuated by vanilla, oak, and resinous hops. Taste is [not surprisingly] much like "regular" AB. However, there is a definite added complexity/dimension with the oaky, madeira, vanilla flavors. The hops are still aggressive, but the added malt complexity balances them much better. What am I trying to say here? This is damn good beer! Finish is slightly warming and redolent of a fine Scotch. Here's hoping this is released in 6 packs every year. (607 characters)

Appearance: The pour is dark brown with fiery orange highlights and a small layer of tan head that lasts for quite a while.

Smell: Grapefruity and floral hops battle for supreme control of the aroma with dark malts and soft woody aroma.

Taste: The oaky flavor wussifies the arrogance in the flavor profile. Its brother's sticky dark malts and citrusy hop bitterness are still in here, but everything is so smooth. Very different from the original.

Mouthfeel: It's medium-bodied and the texture is luxuriously smooth, but still dry like the standard issue AB.

Drinkability: I was in one of the most uncomfortable parts of LA, the service was awkward, and my meal was overpriced, but I forgot all about that when I was drinking this beer. (793 characters)

Presentation: 12 ounce bottle, from a freshly purchased Six-Pack of the recently released monster. Standard looking Arrogant Bastard Ale text and Gargoyle is screen printed in white but overlaid with the words OAKED in a Red colored semi-broken Arial text, enforcing an over-stamped look. Sealed with a simple brass cap which has the words Hated by Many Love By Few.

Appearance: Dark ruby body has some rich purples, polished mahogany, Conker fresh horse chestnuts and a range of deep browns to entice the visual inspector. Held high to the light it glows, it has a soul that projects danger, yet an inviting sense of adventure. The deep tanned head is darker at the meniscus and perfectly formed, rich in its fine formed texture with a smooth top it deposits some nice lacing as I work down the Old Guardian glass .wonder if theyll release an Oaked AB Glass for this? Superfine dissolved carbonation adds an intense conditioning to this brew but it is all kept under control.

Nose: Ripe barley malts are filled with thick fruity hop oils and a biting citrus tingle in the finish. Alcohols are here, prevalent but not invasive whilst the merest hint of wood can be detected, but it hides when chilled; only revealing itself after the brew warms to room temperature.

Taste: A gorgeously sinful mix of high alcohol, hop oils and raw English barley wine styled malts. Deliciously fruity, soft biscuit, tanned leather and a growing tendency to leave hop trails on the tongue are thoroughly lovable. It does tend to exhibit a rather dry woody finish in the long run though. The regular (sic) Arrogant Bastard is a big brew which doesnt need any Oaked characteristics to improve its demeanor. Moreover the American Oak Chips seem to tame the beast a little and add some quality and education to a brash cocky youngster which I like. Refined to an extent, it looses some of its Bastard charm in the process but the Drinkability shoots off the charts though - so it's a balance of sorts.

Mouthfeel: Very smooth, the ultra fine conditioning and woolly thick head help to impart a regal nature to the texture, and I really enjoyed licking my freshly formed Oaked Arrogant Bastard moustache after the first mouthful. Sophisticated and free of sharp edges, the feel is of high quality coachwork throughout.

Drinkability: Good job these come is Six-Packs! But Id still love to see it in Bombers too. Maybe Ill have just one more 12 ounce bottle .yeah its only 9:30pm ..you know this stuff is dangerously quaffable, I could easily manage the whole Six-Pack, even knowing that I have a 6am flight tomorrow .Watch Out.

Overall: Unusual to see this in Six-Packs given Stones preference for Bombers and the previous 3L outings for Oaked AB. It works well whatever you want to put this in and I for one have enjoyed revisiting this brew. The only drawback is the price; I quickly realized that the 10% Double Bastard Bomber sat next to the Six-Pack that I picked up represented better value for money per ounce. Oh well. Ill certainly stock up on this one when I win the Lottery for sure. Hope you get to try some.

Poured out of a 12oz bottle into a pint glass a reddish ruby brown color with a small off white head that settled quickly.
The nose is filled with pungent citrus and floral hop notes blended with the dark oakiness aroma the label promises.
A dark oak flavor that includes faint vanilla flavors is first and then the big hop profile of citrus and earthy flavors. Big sweet and sturdy maltiness throughout this beer. The hop profile, big malt character and the oak characteristics really blend nicely.
Mouthfeel is pretty smooth and the level of carbonation promotes a good drinkability.
This was my first time trying the oaked version of the AB and was pleasantly surprised. The beer really took on a big and very noticeable difference that makes this beer more complex and IMO more tastey beer. (801 characters)

Well, i bought a 3L last year and have been to the brewery twice since to refill.... damn good beer. I'm finally going to review this.

Bought 6 six packs of this brew and i'm loving it. For the record, Arrogant Bastard is one of my favorites and is always in my refrig.

Pours a beautiful beef jerky brown and mohogany with an oatmeal hued tenacious head that leaves a sweet victory secrets lacing around my pint glass... yes i have wood, take that any way you want. The aromas are a symphony of sweet fresh kilned malt with blossoms of citrus laying on a plank of fresh cut wood which leads right into the taste of the same.

The flavors are an explosion of defined grapefruit BBQ'd over oak chips and malt kernals then all reduced to an elixer of all said flavors dancing in harmony with hints of sweet caramel.

Scrubbing carbonation teases my palate and a medium yet somewhat crisp mouthfeel leave yearning for more. Get this brew, it's golden!!! I would drink this year round if possible. (1,002 characters)

pours nice and clear reddish-brown with a straw colored 1 inch head. nice lacing. aroma is citrus and piney hops with a touch of whiskey. first taste is a woody, vanilla malt, but immediately gives way to grapefruit citrus hops of the original AB. the pineapple i love in the original AB is missing, but i guess that's part of what makes this different. finishes slightly resinous, bitter and dry. wood carries through to the end, and you can taste this flavor on your lips. surprisingly smooth and crisp at the same time. i find this slightly more enjoyable than the AB, and i'm interested in trying this with some age, although it's wonderful fresh. (651 characters)

A- pours a deep brown with red hues when held up to the light, has a huge cream head that retains beautifully and laces great

S- at first smells of sweet malt and then a big grapefruit citrus, not that different from the regular Arrogant bastard

T- rich and sweet at first, almost a little bit of coffee taste but only for a split second, then followed by the big ass citric grapefruit hop bitterness at the finish

M- good carbonation, with a fairly heavy body, sticky long lasting taste in mouth

D- like its other bastard kin, shouldn't (definitey could, and have) drink more than a couple of these in a night, a good move by stone to put them in 12 oz's this year, wont look forward to it as much as the double, but will definitely be picking up a few of these each december for quite a while (806 characters)

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a snifter.
Purchased at Merchant's in Dearborn, last bottle they had.
Served at damn near room temperature.

Pours a beautiful deep ruby red color with some amber highlights. A huge fluffy cream colored, almost yellow head forms. Tons of delicate, sticky lacing is left behind as the head fades. Good head retention. Excellent smelling brew! Big malts and hops, candy, kinda boozy, with a nice oaky aroma in the background. Some citrusy smells with hints of vanilla. Quite bitter on the tongue, duhh!! Tastes like Arrogant Bastard with wood! Lots of hops upfront with the malts taking a backseat. Creamy smooth mouthfeel, but leaves a nice crisp feeling on the tongue, kinda dry. A pleasure too drink, I like this a little better than the original. I hope to find some more, nice job Stone! (826 characters)

Taste: I had a leviation before this to at least have some warm up. Arrogant bastard is usually very harsh and I'm only able to sip it. This beer is nicely balanced, with some nice woodyness. Aging has done wonders. More bitterness than levitation (watered down arrogant bastard), but it's a more pleasant bitterness. YUMMY! PERFECTION. Better than the original. I reviewed arrogant bastard early on and it has a higher rating I think, but this one is better and has a nicer taste. PICK THIS UP!

Mouthfeel: Stone beers are never thick on the palate and this one is no exception. The crispness is nice however.

drinkability: the most drinkable strong ale I've had to date. (835 characters)

The beer poured a deep garnet with a small off-white head that quickly disappeared.

The aroma of the beer was rich dark malt, chocolate, and some vanilla.

The flavor of the beer was full of rich maltiness with a decent citrusy hop bite. The hops are very subdued compared to regular AB, which in my opinion, makes the beer much better and more balanced. The bittering of regular AB is just too coarse for it to be drinkable and appreciate the rich maltiness that's there. This version avoids that problem entirely and is a far superior beer.

The mouthfeel was medium and creamy. The carbonation was just right.

The 12oz. bottles are a welcome addition. Stone and other breweries should do this more often for their big beers. I realize the costs are higher, but it's much easier for me to take my time when I don't feel pressure to push through a 22oz bomber.

I got a six pack from the last case at Hi-Times. This stuff is going fast. So if you see it, grab it. (1,017 characters)

Let me start off by admitting that I am not a big fan of Arrogant Bastard. It was actually the beer that got me into Stone, but in retrospect, it's probably one of my least favorites of their offerings. I appreciate the whole "You're Not Worthy" bitterness concept, but I'll go ahead and compromise my own masculinity by saying that I guess I'm not worthy because it's just a bit too bitter for me to really enjoy it...at least until I'm about halftway through the bottle and the alcohol starts to cushion the blow.

Nonetheless, as soon as I heard that the Oaked Bastard was available in bottles (which occurred less than a week ago in my neighborhood), I had to have some. I now have two six-packs of the stuff, and I'm hoping I made a wise investment.

I poured the contents of my first bottle into my trusty Stone Imperial Russian Stout tulip glass. The liquid was a deep, rich mahogany, too dark to be transparent yet perfectly clear, with a substantially tall and dense tan head that settled to about a finger's width. I swirled the glass a couple of times and the head retention was perfect.

This being the second oaked beer I've reviewed (the first being Old Yeti Oaked Imperial Stout), I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but sure enough, the odor was very similar. The smell conjured the image of being in a field of oak trees after a heavy rainstorm. More simply: wet wood. A hint of malt and even a glimpse of sweetness was also present. The overall experience was fairly appealing, but I wasn't sure how well it would translate to my taste buds.

After my first sip, I was not disappointed. Where the effects of alcohol were once required to "cushion the blow" of the bitterness of this brew, the oak aging and flavor now did the job. I could taste the gentle oak flavor up front. This was quickly chased by the trademark bitterness of the Bastard. However, whereas the normal Bastard has a tendency to burrow its way into my tongue and make me feel like someone just jammed a handful of pine needles into my tongue and then poured grapefruit juice into the wound, the oakiness seemed to leave a protective coating that provided enough of a blockade to stave off the hoppy attack while being subtle enough for my taste buds to enjoy the flavor. It's not the bitterness of the Bastard that puts me off, it's the fact that it won't go away. I could take three sips of Arrogant Bastard and the taste would linger for ten minutes. I'd rather have a chance to recover and then pummel my taste buds again at my own pace, and this Oaked variety enables me to do that.

I still can't say this is one of my favorite Stone beers: I prefer the refreshing quality of their IPA or the complexity of their Old Guardian, Ruination, or Imperial Russian Stout. I will qualify this by saying that I don't really have a basis of comparison as far as what an American Strong Ale should taste like, so I can't judge to style. I can appreciate it for what it is, though, and I will have an easy time spreading out my consumption of these over the next several months or even years and seeing how the experience evolves. (3,124 characters)

A huge Huge thanks to fellow Buffalo area BA Orfeu for leaving some of this and a few other gems on my porch tonight!Poured into a brandy snifter a deep amber infused with some tawny brown a big fluffy almond colored head atop leaving multiple sheets of lace as it settled into a soapy-like top.The only let down of this beer in my mind was the nose seemed a bit unasumming some faint vanilla and caramel and hints of orange peel.Oh man the flavors are definently Not unassuming where to begin here caramel sweetness and woody tones at first sip the vanilla from the oak becomes prevelant a big drying spicey hoppiness really hits and hits hard just making it oh so drinkable and balanced.As the beer warms the alcohol heat comes thru more but not outta hand,oh so beautiful a beer I just loved it. (798 characters)

Picked up a six for 14.99 and I'm a little disappointed. IMO, this brew was no different in taste, smell, appearence, and mouthfeel than Arrogant Bastard. Still a great looking ruby red w/ a 2 inch creamy amber head and left an excellent amount of lacing. The taste and aroma was similiar to AB. Malty caramel, toffee, citrus hoppy w/ a well balanced sweet-bitter ending. I failed to smell and taste any oak barrel, even after drinking 4/12 oz bottles. Well, I guess if OAB and AB are similar to me, I'll score it the same. (523 characters)

third sip some time later.. rich nuttyness some bittering around the tongue, but not usual hoppiness. A different flavor, somewhat like the different of regular AB but also the Oak perhaps?

Rich, complex deep flavors.

I got a bit of sticker shock, never paid that much for a six pack before, [12.46] but after reading the forums [and doing the math] It's really not such a bad deal after all, and maybe it would be nice to have this and other richer stone offerings in 12 oz bottles. (667 characters)

Appearance was dark cider reddish brown. Half inch thick tan head of dense foam. This pulled back quickly, but left nice remnants of lace on the sides and a very small layer of bubbles on top of the beer.

The smell hit me at first with canned pineapple sweetness. Piney Hop resins and the slightest hint of oak.

The taste was heavily influenced by the oak. It actually seems to have toned down some of the more unbalanced flavors AB usually has. Now, I'm not saying it's well balanced, but a lot of the malt sweetness has been smoothed over by smokey oak notes. Piney, perhaps Cascade hops, are heavy in the flavor as well. Fruity malts are present but a bit muted.

The mouthfeel is thick, yet smooth. This could be a product of the oak or perhaps the aging.

Very drinkable. In my honest opinion more so than regular Arrogant bastard. I think the oak does wonders for this beer. It really smooths the flavors out. (955 characters)

Appearance is the same as the original. Dark burnt copper with a foamy beige two fingered head.

Aromas are of strong citrusy and piney hops. Slight oakey aroma and a hint of vanilla. I wasn't overwhelmed with the oakiness. Maybe because this is such a hoppy beer. I still think the hop is the strongest character.

'06 release. Pours from 12 oz. bottle a dark mahogany with a finger and a half of a thick foamy beige head with excellent retention, leaving a nice thick lacing around the glass as it slowly falls.

Aroma is mostly of oak, as would be expected. But behind it there are plenty of hints of the original Bastard; grapefruit citrus hops and sweet roasted malts.

I wasn't sure what to expect on this one, and though I was surprised, I am definitely not disappointed. Compared to the original, this is very mellow, though still definitely full-flavored. The first taste is the citric grapefruit hops, but then the oak chips creep up. They sneak in with the light roasted/toffee malts in the background and go straight for the throat of the hops, creating one helluva balance. Lingering bitter aftertaste, but it is very mild.

Somewhat syrupy and oily mouthfeel, full-bodied with ample carbonation. A lot lighter bitterness than the AB, so it's definitely a step above as far as drinkability. This is one incredible brew, Stone's done it again. (1,045 characters)

A - Good looking beer here. Deep brown and clean filtered (if you have a powerful enough spotlight to make it through). Very nice oatmeal colored head that has a much staying power as any I have seen.

S - Mocha, burnt wood and a clean vanilla waft. Also present are the dark fruits that are present in the standard version of the Bastard.

T - OK, this is the best way I can describe this. Imagine Mr. Arrogant Bastard chilled for a few hours, listening to Barry White ... believing Barry White, and learning a thing or two. He is still arrogant and still a bastard. But this time he is smoooth.

Woody tones are very apparent and serve to mellow out the various battling flavors in the original version. The big hops and caramel malts blend together with near perfection. Very good.

M - Yep, this is most excellent. Good job Stone. Pump up that Barry on a few more beers. I love it. (947 characters)

Pours a clear dark amber with a nice white head and minimal lacing. Surprising considering the amount of hops here. Smell is immediately of oak, dry bittering hops, and slight malt sweetness. Taste is a blast in the face of bittering hops, dry in the back of the throat aftertaste. Oak melds pretty well with the hops and kind of eases the hop assault. Nice thick mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. Very drinkable, I can see it paired with a nice sharp cheddar. (462 characters)